


Will We See the Real Stars Then?

by nazgularepeopletoo, No_Day_But_Today



Category: The Southern Reach Trilogy - Jeff Vandermeer
Genre: Control Is Baby, Control Needs A Hug, F/M, Or A Handjob, We All Know Control Is A Sub, You can't change my mind, its about the TENDERNESS, porn but with feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-05
Updated: 2019-10-05
Packaged: 2020-12-01 21:13:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,194
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20901119
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nazgularepeopletoo/pseuds/nazgularepeopletoo, https://archiveofourown.org/users/No_Day_But_Today/pseuds/No_Day_But_Today
Summary: Control has a crisis, so Ghost Bird helps him in the only way she knows how.





	Will We See the Real Stars Then?

It had been a long few days. First shivering and wet, then sweating and hot. The weather was unpredictable and it was making Control frustrated. It wasn’t only the weather. It was everything. Nothing acted as it should and it seemed like every other moment Ghost Bird was warning him about something, or saving him from something. 

He would be lying if he said her touch wasn’t affecting him. He’d been denying it to himself, but after what seemed to be three days, he’d caught his foot on an underlying root and tripped. Ghost Bird had moved quicker than he’d thought she could, grabbing him around the waist and keeping him from falling face first into a puddle of… something. What that something was didn’t matter, not when she was pressed against his back, shallow breaths tickling the hair at the base of his neck. He swallowed, closing his eyes tightly. After a moment of silence, Ghost Bird pulled away.

“It’s getting dark. You won’t be able to see.” Control nodded, unconsciously tugging at his shirt. 

They settled down under a twisted tree a few feet away. Without thinking, Control started gathering small branches and other detritus that was surprisingly dry, piling it into a small circle. Patting his pockets, he fished out a battered zippo lighter; something he had found when they scavenged anything useful from the abandoned military zone. He flipped the lighter open, but it was slapped out of his hands before he could ignite it.

“Don’t! We don’t know what’s hiding out there in the dark We’d be the brightest spot in the area, the stars aren’t even that bright. Look around-” Ghost Bird cut herself off when she saw Control shaking, chest heaving slightly. His eyes were wide and he was staring at nothing. It was obvious that he was sweating more than before, and he was starting to subtly rock back and forth. 

That wasn’t good. She crouched down to his level and reached out, stopping just short of touching him.

“Control…” She paused, then slowly shifted forward onto her knees. “John. It’s alright… Hey.” Despite some innate instinct to leave him alone, Ghost Bird pressed her outstretched hand against his cheek. John leaned into her touch, breath catching in his throat. He started shaking harder, tears beginning to slide down his face. Ghost bird pulled him to her chest and tucked his head into the crook of her neck. He bit his lip, trying to pull himself back together, but he couldn’t. Ghost Bird wrapped her arms around him tighter, starting to rock back and forth. He sobbed quietly, pressing his face closer to her skin, clinging to her tightly. 

Slowly, slowly, she laid them down, curling around him protectively. They stayed like that for a moment before Ghost Bird shifted, gently pushing Control off her chest. 

“John.. look.” He sniffed, a little confused, but he looked up, then gasped. A foot away from them was… a frog? No mutations it seemed, other than it glowed. It was fluorescent, a bright spot in the gathering twilight. As soon as he spotted the one, dozens more bright spots appeared. They dotted the darkness like stars, forming ever-shifting constellations. They stared in silence, Control’s tears drying on his face. It was beautiful. As the frogs moved, the lights flowed, drifting from bears to swans, hunters to dragons; mesmerising the two with their dance. 

It wasn’t long before Control was stifling a yawn. Ghost Bird gently pulled Control back to her chest, tucking his head back into the crook of her neck. He sighed, closing his eyes and trying to hold onto the feeling of peace that the frogs had brought. Hearing her heartbeat certainly helped, so he pressed his face closer, breathing against her skin. After a few moments he spoke again.

“Ghost Bird… Will I… Do you… how long do you think i’ll survive out here? I already feel so different…” All of the relaxation was seeping out of him, Ghost Bird could feel it. She could feel the tension seeping back into his body.

“I can feel… I don’t know. I’m scared. I don’t know -” Without thinking, she ducked her head down and kissed him. He went silent immediately, body stiffening in surprise. That was the last thing that he had expected to happen, and, though he’d been wanting this, now that it was happening, he didn’t know how to respond. His body did, however. 

He arched in towards her, lifting his hands to clutch at her shoulders. She gently nudged him onto his back, moving to straddle his hips. He whined quietly, trying not to lose his grasp on her shirt, but she had a different idea. Before he could even blink, Ghost Bird had captured his wrists and pinned them above his head. She held him down with one hand, gripping his chin with the other. She leaned down and kissed him again, harder than before. He involuntarily bucked up towards her, groaning when she ground her hips against him. It had been… god, he didn’t even know how long since someone had touched him. 

She seemed to pick up on that, lifting herself up on her knees to lessen the pressure on his groin. He whined again, staring up at her with wide eyes. 

“What..?” It only took a moment for him to get his answer, as she slid a hand down his chest to the waistband of his pants. His back arched and his eyes unfocused. He had no control over any part of his body, which he usually hated, yet in this moment he had never been more turned on. 

For a few moments, he forgot everything. He forgot the fear, the uncertainty, their tortuous journey through Area X. For those few moments, he forgot everything that wasn’t her and her touch. A touch that was slowly moving toward where he wanted it most. 

When she finally grasped him, he gasped sharply. Her hand was soft and cool, her grip light. She worked him slowly and deliberately. He bucked his hips again, urging her to go faster. She wouldn’t though, keeping a steady pace, keeping him right near the edge. He felt like he was losing his mind, and he almost sobbed, biting his lip. 

“Please…” She took pity on him, tightening her grip and moving faster. He cried out before he could stop himself, attempting to curl in on himself. His vision went white as he came. Ghost Bird covered his mouth with her own, kissing him hard to keep him quiet. When they separated, Ghost Bird slid off of him, moving to lay down next to him. They lay there, Ghost Bird waiting for Control’s breathing to even out. Once it seemed like he had calmed down, Ghost Bird pulled him to her, once again tucking his head into the crook of her neck. Control leaned into her touch, nuzzling the curve of her throat. They lay there for a moment before Control found his voice again.

“Ghost Bird-” She shushed him, kissing his forehead and pulling him closer.

“You don’t need to say anything, John. Just go to sleep…” 

**Author's Note:**

> GLOWY BABIES  
https://featuredcreature.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/9463024474_dda06a3bee_b.jpg  
https://www.sciencemag.org/sites/default/files/styles/article_main_large/public/Brachycephalus-pitanga_sta-virginia_16x9.jpg?itok=E10BZOFY


End file.
